28 
The average dollar volume of business for all cooperative processors in- 
creased from $2.6 million in 1952 to almost $8.1 million in 1964, a three- 
fold increase (table 9). In both years cooperative freezers had the 
highest average volume of business and canners the smallest. 
Substantial gains in volume are apparent for the three types of process- 
ing associations. The canning cooperatives operating in 1964 had an 
average volume of business 4 times greater than the 1952 average. Dol- 
lar volume for drying assoczations more than doubled over the 12-year 
period. 
Member-volume Ratios.--Average number of memberships of processing asso- 
ciations were decreasing at the same time average business volume was 
increasing. Although these two key measures of cooperative size moved 
in opposite directions, decreases in memberships were moderate while 
increases in volume of business were substantial, especially when com- 
pared with cooperatives primarily marketing fresh fruits and vegetables. 
Membership-business volume relationships indicated a slight membership 
increase, between 1952 and 1964 (table 10). 
The changes in volume of business were apparent in every membership cate- 
gory. Although the middle membership and volume groupings showed the 
same percentage of associations (36 percent) in both years, the distri- 
bution moved to the upper volume categories. The increase from 5 per- 
cent in 1952 to 20 percent in 1964 for the total of all cooperatives 
in the over $10,000,000 category was a significant change. 
Processing Improvements 
As indicated earlier processing cooperative mergers were not recorded 
by FCS until 1957. Processing association records showed 18 mergers 
with other cooperatives since 1957 (appendix table 17). Eight of these 
involved canning cooperatives, and 10 drying associations. 
Eight of the 10 drying cooperatives that merged in 1960-61 performed only 
services. All eight merged into Sunsweet Dryers of San Jose, California. 
This merger sought to take advantage of improved and more efficient dry- 
ing techniques. The 10 drying associations were located in California, 
the center of drying operations. 
Four of the eight merged canning associations were located in California, 
two in Oregon, and one each in Michigan and Washington. Most of the 
eight mergers involved cooperatives of regional or national prominence. 
For instance the Turlock Cooperative Growers merger (actually a conso- 
lidation) with Tri-Valley Packing Association, both of San Francisco, 
California, brought together two well-established processing coopera- 
tives. The organization now known as Tri-Valley Growers, San Francisco, 
California, processes 14 different products, in 5 canning plants, with 
annual sales of over $60 million. 
